


Left to Trust

by dedougal



Series: Certain and Unsure [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-24 01:36:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/933607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedougal/pseuds/dedougal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I started writing this sequel ages ago before S3 started but failed to do much more until now. So. This picks up after the last fic ended and follows on from it. Bits of S3 canon are apparent in this fic but since Derek has a kid, it mostly veers off at the end of S2. Also, I named the kid after a friend long before there was a Jennifer in the series and I didn't want to change that. I hope that makes sense. I'd also set out to write a very different fic to this, but maybe because I am so damn old, I felt it was time for everyone to try and grow up a little.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Left to Trust

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this sequel ages ago before S3 started but failed to do much more until now. So. This picks up after the last fic ended and follows on from it. Bits of S3 canon are apparent in this fic but since Derek has a kid, it mostly veers off at the end of S2. Also, I named the kid after a friend long before there was a Jennifer in the series and I didn't want to change that. I hope that makes sense. I'd also set out to write a very different fic to this, but maybe because I am so damn old, I felt it was time for everyone to try and grow up a little.

When Stiles finished his second year at college, Jenny graduated kindergarten and then he had to face this whole barrage of questions about why he wasn’t coming home for the summer. He was prepared for them, really, from Scott and his dad and even from Melissa. What he wasn’t prepared for was the lack of questions from Derek.

Derek and he were the definition of complicated. When they were around each other, they were either fucking or arguing and there seemed to be very little ground in between. And that ground was occupied solely by Jenny who would stare at them both, eyes so much like Derek’s, until they stopped sniping at each other and did what she wanted to do.

His dad had tried to talk about it with him once, ask him what was going on with Derek and him. It had been the third most uncomfortable conversation they’d ever had, making the werewolf one look like a breeze. And when all Stiles could end up with was, “I don’t know,” he realized it was probably best to enjoy the clean break college offered and accept the internship he’d been offered that summer.

There was Skype and phone calls and his dad would get away from the station for a week. He wouldn’t be completely out of touch. It was just easier.

 

Which was why he wasn’t expecting to find Derek and Jenny in his tiny apartment kitchen when he stumbled home, eyes gritty and shirt sweat drenched, his hair tangled in his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d wandered, naively, into Derek’s kitchen in that shitty block all those years ago. Jenny was coloring in, Derek holding the book steady and handing over crayons on demand. It was ridiculous and domestic and sent a sharp spike of want through Stiles. He was only twenty. He shouldn’t want this but he did. He wanted his boyfriend (husband, now, perhaps) and his kid and to come home after work to them both. 

“Your roommate let us in,” Derek said, frowning up at Stiles. He’d gotten better at other expressions – even smiles – since Jenny had come into their lives, despite, well, everything else. “Then she said something about a band. I think? She didn’t seem to know who we were.” Derek sounded disappointed at that.

Stiles nodded. “She had practice. She’s pretty good.” Stiles had spent a lot of time not telling Suze about Derek and Jenny and he knew he was in for a good grilling when she came back. “Why are you here?”

“Stiles?” Jenny looked up from her coloring. “Why didn’t you come home? I had a sign made.” She had definitely learned to glare from Derek. Stiles was more prone to take it from her than from him though.

“I got a job, sweetie.” He sat down beside her, looking at her drawing. She was pretty much inside the lines now, which was cool. She was also so much taller than he remembered, her hair starting to creep down her back like he’d remembered Cora’s doing. “I have to wear a shirt and tie and everything.”

Jenny looked at him sideways, not quite sure how to take this new information. “You’re not wearing a tie now.”

“I took it off for the drive home.” The bus home, actually. His car had crapped out two weeks ago and his paycheck wouldn’t arrive until Friday. He didn’t want to tap his dad for money. Or, more accurately, he didn’t want to face the whole guilt trip about not coming home again. He fished it out of his shoulder bag and handed it over. “Actually, you guys good? I’m going to shower and then we can grab some food.”

“My treat,” Derek said, before Stiles could say anything else. Stiles shot him a suspicious glance but Derek was back to being bland and unreadable, giving no clues to why he was really here.

 

****

Jennifer Hale and the Sheriff had become a sort of accepted part of Beacon Hills society. Stiles had joked that his dad should just install a car seat in the front of the cruiser and accept his fate. His dad had very slowly grinned at him and the next time Stiles had shown up with take out, he’d been relegated to the back by the very securely strapped in baby seat.

He didn’t like it when his dad got snarky.

“How are you coping at school with all this?” His dad then shoved in a mouthful of green leaves and chewed ever so slowly as Stiles gaped like a goldfish for a couple of minutes.

“No one is really saying anything.” That was probably safest. After all, Scott had spent most of his time telling Stiles exactly what he thought about Derek staying at his house before the end of the summer. Isaac had also been there, lurking in the background, but he didn’t seem to be quite as annoyed at Stiles opening his house to his former alpha. He seemed happy to be spending the time at Scott’s and coming to visit Jenny who was fascinated with his curls, making grabby hands at Isaac and pulling his hair whenever he came over. “It’s fine.”

“Hmm. Because maybe Derek should see about getting a job, now that Jenny is settled.” This time it was a long drink to prevent Stiles pressing for more information.

“And you want me to tell him this.” Stiles knew well the ways of his father. 

His dad took another huge bite of grilled chicken before choking out. “He’s your friend.”

“He’s your…lodger.” They needed a better definition for it. Roommate was definitely not on the list.

“You know him better than I do.” His dad just stared at him evenly in the mirror as he forked more leaves into his mouth.

They reached a kind of impasse right there. Stiles didn’t want to admit to his dad just how well he knew Derek because that would probably lead to Derek and Jenny and Stiles all being split up and it would be, quite frankly, a clusterfuck. It wasn’t like he and Derek had done anything more than make out a few times since Derek had moved into the guest room anyway. But, oh god, Stiles was certainly enjoying the way he was learning exactly how stubble felt against his neck and his collarbone and his cheeks and, once, very memorably, his nipples. Stiles let his mind wander for a few moments before he realized his dad was watching him a little strangely.

“I’ll ask him,” he blurted out, covering all the awkwardness with more awkward. That was basically his entire existence anyway. 

****

They ended up at an old fashioned burger joint – Stiles winced as he described it as that. It was deliberately retro, all shiny red plastic seat covers and black and white checked flooring. Derek’s shoulders relaxed as he settled into a booth and Jenny was handed a booster seat so she could join them comfortably. 

“Nice place. Smells good.” Derek tugged his plastic covered menu over and started to read it. Stiles had been here often enough that he knew what he was going to order but he took his time reading the kid’s menu to Jenny. He missed doing things like this, having her comment on what she liked and what she didn’t and hearing her reasons for everything. Stiles tamped down his feelings when he felt Derek’s eyes on him, a little too sharp.

Uncomfortable silence arose while they waited for their order. Then, to cover it, they spoke at once. “How’s work?” from Stiles was met by “We missed you,” from Derek. Stiles didn’t know how to answer that, sitting with his mouth open, catching flies, while Derek fiddled with his napkin.

“I missed you,” Derek finally said, looking up again. “Why didn’t you come home?”

“Why are you here, Derek?” Stiles watched Jenny, not sure what he’d see if he gave in to the temptation to look at Derek. The waitress had handed over pencils to her, and she was again engaged in artwork.

“I had some time and Jenny finished school and I thought we should just drive down.” Derek leaned back and let his arm rest along the back of the booth. He looked relaxed but Stiles could see that Derek was holding himself carefully, ready to spring up at any moment.

“You drove?” It wasn’t like that wasn’t the best option. Flying would have cost a ton and Derek didn’t do well with other people so maybe it made sense. It would still take forever.

“I did most of it at night, and we stopped, and it doesn’t matter.” Derek shook his head. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it here.” The waitress came past with their plates and Stiles started eating, keeping his mouth as full as he could to avoid any awkward questions slipping out. Jenny finished first and insisted on giving him a blow by blow account of her last week at kindergarten while he finished his fries.

The place was busy enough that the waitress didn’t hover but it also meant that Stiles should have expected to run into someone he knew. Paul had been in one of his Psych classes freshman year and they’d hooked up, once, at a party. Or had attempted to. Stiles had been all gungho to start with until Paul had tried running his teeth along his neck and Stiles had stopped cold, memories of Derek doing the same thing overlaying everything he was feeling. He’d been swallowed by homesickness and a pain settled deep beneath his breastbone and didn’t diminish for days.

“Hey, Stiles.” Paul never made a secret of the fact he was up for a repeat go-around despite the fact Stiles didn’t see him as anything other than a decent guy. It didn’t mean that he could just ignore him either.

“Paul. Hi.” Did he introduce Derek and Jenny? Did he say anything? How could he?

Derek saved him the trouble of working out what to say. “I’m Derek. This is Jenny, my daughter.” Paul looked between them and Stiles, before smiling weakly. 

“How’s your internship, Stiles? Heard you’d landed lucky.” Paul didn’t put on the charm like he normally did. It actually sounded like he was genuinely asking.

“It’s fine.” Stiles nodded, kicking his foot out automatically and connecting with Derek’s shin completely by accident.

“Should we get ice cream, Stiles?” Derek asked across whatever Paul was about to say next. Jenny perked up at that, accidentally pushing her pencil across the table. Stiles rescued it, handing it over as he looked between Derek, who was wearing that fake smile he wore to persuade people he was a normal, functioning adult member of society, and Stiles could see Paul being taken in by it as well. “Jenny’s bedtime is coming up.”

“I don’t need to go to bed!” Jenny piped up, and Derek and her bent their heads together and had a fierce, whispered conversation about bed times and sleep and some kind of blanket. 

Stiles smiled wanly at Paul. “I think there will be ice cream.”

Paul nodded, smiled sympathetically. “I should have known you’d pull a good one, Stilinski. Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”

Stiles nodded. He swallowed down the automatic denial of him and Derek being official and together and anything more than occasional fuck buddies and ignored the sudden hot look Derek sent him from under his eyelashes. He wasn’t going to get into the whole ‘it’s complicated’ thing again.

They ended up walking to the Fro Yo place on 9th for dessert.

****

Derek ended up working in the library. Stiles had nearly ended himself laughing when he’d heard about it, threatened to buy him a tweed jacket to replace his leather one and spent a whole week calling Derek Giles. Derek put up with it, sighing heavily.

There was some negotiation about Jenny – Stiles would take over babysitting duties after school and the Sheriff would help out when he was off shift but they decided to call in Melissa and ask her advice about child minders. She was as enchanted with Jenny as everyone else had been and insisted on being a female influence. Which mainly seemed to be bringing over clothes. And Derek didn’t have too many day shifts, covering weekends and evenings to begin with so it all seemed to work out fine.

Derek bought one of those harness carriers that fitted to his stomach to take Jenny around in. Stiles had a thousand photos on his phone of Derek and his dad with Jenny strapped to them doing things like grocery shopping and then his dad retaliated by making Stiles take her to the park. That had been fun until Jenny had started to cry and didn’t stop until Stiles decided to take her to the library. Derek had been shelving but he’d stopped and given Jenny a hug, introduced her to the librarian who had cooed over her.

They didn’t get much time alone.

One night, Stiles came in to find that Jenny was fast asleep, his dad was on shift and Derek was lounging on his bed with a book, which was immediately discarded in favor of Stiles. More Stiles threw himself across Derek’s lap and plucked the book from his hands, tossing it across the room. They both froze then, paused to hear if the noise had woken Jenny. But when everything was silent, Stiles leaned in close.

“I want you to fuck me.” He kept his voice as steady as it could be, but there was still a slight tremor, a flutter that betrayed his excitement, his nerves. “We’ve done just about everything else and I want you to.”

Derek let his head fall back on the pillow, keeping an eye on Stiles. Then he nodded and pulled Stiles closer, kissing him hard. “We stop if you say. We don’t have to. We can stop at any point.”

Stiles ran his hand over Derek’s stubble, rubbing it the wrong way. “It feels…kinda good. To be thinking and planning and not just getting drunk at some party and screwing someone just because they’re there and you’re there and you don’t really, you know, care.” Stiles kissed him, again, slowly. “And I like that you said that. So, thank you. And I know virginity is all social construct and I won’t feel any different or anything. But I want to do this. Now. With you.”

Stiles watched as Derek stripped off, even more intent that usual. He let Derek peel off his pants and underwear, laughed a little at the way Derek’s cock bobbed as he walked over to fetch the new lube from the brown bag Stiles had hidden under his socks and tried to control the relentless swirling in the pit of his stomach as Derek ran his hand softly up the inside of his thigh.

***

When they got back to his apartment, Suze had come and gone, leaving a note to say she was staying at her girlfriend’s for the next few days and not to worry. Stiles half-wished she was there to provide a buffer between him and Derek. Without the benefit of another person or the fact they were in public, there was going to be nothing to stop them arguing, fighting or falling back into old, bad habits.

“We can go get a hotel,” Derek offered. Jenny yawned against his leg before tottering over to Stiles and pulling on his pants. He had to catch them at his waist – he needed a new belt or to tighten this one or something – before he worked her hands free.

“You guys can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.” He could take Suze’s bed but he’d been scarred for life by the things he’d found in it last time he’d done that. And there was no way Jenny would settle in a hotel. The smell, the noise, the overwhelming otherness would just be too much for her. At least his room should smell enough like him that she’d not have to deal with too many strange scents. “You need anything?”

Derek looked at the clock on the TV – it was early – but Jenny was yawning again, half-asleep against Stiles’ leg and Derek looked raw around the edges. Stiles knew what kind of toll that drive extracted. “I’ll go get our stuff.”

Stiles made his way through the odd silent heaviness of the apartment to check his room – he should change the sheets, maybe – and to lay out towels. It made him look at the place again, at the peeling posters and the chipped dishes and the fact that he should really vacuum more frequently. He hadn’t been to Derek’s house in Beacon Hills in a while but he knew it was clean and modern and kid friendly. Stiles had game controller leads tangled across the floor.

“I like your house, Stiles.” Jenny crawled over to the pillows when Stiles set her on the bed. “But it’s not as nice as Grandad’s. His bed is much more comfortable.” She stared at Stiles as he puttered around. He heard Derek come back in and he was relieved. He wasn’t sure how much more of this guilt trip he could take, even from a totally innocent five year old who didn’t mean to do it.

Derek got Jenny ready for bed while Stiles grabbed what he’d need for the morning. He’d be out early just in case the bus was late and he needed to keep making a good impression. A decent reference from this internship would mean a hell of a lot when he graduated. It was only when he settled on the couch and Derek came to join him that he felt like jacking it all in, sliding under Derek’s arm and leaning against his side, demanding that they drive back to Beacon Hills tomorrow.

“Everyone misses you,” Derek said, while Stiles warred with himself. “I know why you stayed. Or, I guess I do.”

“I stayed because I kinda hate myself a little,” Stiles muttered. Of course, he knew Derek would pick it up, werewolf hearing and all. “Denying myself Dad and Scott and home.” He deliberately didn’t add Derek and Jenny to the list. “You’re calling her Jenny now.”

“Guess you finally got it to stick.” Derek settled into the cushions before scrubbing his hands over his face.

“And Grandad? She’s not talking about Peter, right?” Stiles tugged his knees up and hugged them. It gave his hands something to hold onto.

“It… School’s been hard. Kindergarten. She’s been asking about Laura and why there’s just us. And she got into a fight about you, actually.” Derek looked wryly at Stiles. “Apparently Stiles isn’t a proper family member like Daddy or a brother or a sister or whatever. She didn’t shift though, which is cool. She’s like Laura that way.” Derek smiled, proud and soft before snorting again. “But she decided that your dad needed a new name. And she asked if she could call him Grandad and he was okay with it.”

Stiles shrugged. “She can’t be the only kid with a single parent or whatever.”

“We had a fun conversation about dads and boyfriends. I’m allowed to date you, but only you. According to Jenny.” Derek didn’t look away from Stiles. Derek’s eyes had always fascinated him, even when they’d been all werewolfy and color changing. Derek’s actual eyes were pretty supernatural too with all their changing colours. What was the expression? Preternaturally pretty. That was how Lydia had described them, one time she and Stiles had gotten drunk while the rest of the pack was being grr and argh. 

“And… do you? Date anyone?” Stiles wasn’t sure he had any right to ask that. He was a healthy guy who, it turned out, was not entirely repugnant to other people. He’d just not found anyone that he wanted to spend a lot of time with beyond a couple of dates as anything more than a friend.

Derek shook his head at Stiles, his face flickering through too many subtle expressions for Stiles to catch. “Anyway. We missed you. And that’s why we came down to see you.”

“You should stay. Take Jenny to Disneyland.” Stiles himself wouldn’t mind going to Disneyland but he wasn’t going to admit that too loud. “Do the ocean. Touristy stuff. I’ve got to work but I’ll be free on the weekend.”

“If you don’t mind us staying.” Derek raised his hand, as if to touch Stiles’ face, like he’d used to do. He settled for squeezing Stiles’ knee and pushing himself up. “I’m going to crash now.”

“Yeah, well. Mi casu es su casa and all that jazz.” Stiles watched Derek go, trying not to fill in all the blanks of their conversation with too much wishful thinking.

 

***

Stiles woke out of a very, very nice dream with Derek and him entwined in some improbably positions to Jenny having what sounded like a screaming nightmare. She slept through the night, most of the time, and had mainly stopped crying when Derek was out of her sight for too long. Stiles didn’t really think – later on, he’d blame it on the fact he was mostly asleep – before he was pushing his bedroom door open and heading across the hallway.

Derek was shirtless and holding Jenny to his chest and rocking to and fro, making hushing noises. He looked panicked around the eyes, for all that he was mostly able to cope with the different types of crying. Experience counted for a whole lot. Stiles leaned against the doorframe for a moment, waiting for Derek to catch sight of him. Derek looked up at the same moment Jenny reached out a small, chubby arm.

“I think she wants some Stiles cuddles,” Derek said, before pausing and looking faintly disgusted with himself. Stiles mouthed “Stiles cuddles” at him but still made his way across the room and wrapped himself around Jenny and Derek, leaning close. Jenny hiccupped, a little comically, before she _shifted_ , tiny claws and fluffy ears appearing. No fangs, yet, which made an odd sense. Stiles knew his heart tried to beat out of his chest, but he didn’t move away.

“What a good girl!” He rubbed his hand over the ears because they were possibly the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “Who’s a big bad werewolf?”

Derek glared at him before going back to look in wonderment at Jenny. “I didn’t shift until I was at least three or four.”

“That’s because you’re you and she is the best werewolf in the whole world.” Jenny looked vaguely surprised at him but at least she’d stopped crying. Her features faded back to her usual baby shape and she nuzzled against Stiles’ t-shirt.

“I don’t think she wants you to go.” Derek said, after the whole hug thing got a little awkward. “And you should get back to sleep.”

“I’m okay,” Stiles tried, before he was interrupted by an enormous yawn. “School isn’t exactly top of my list of priorities right now.”

Derek blinked at him for a moment. “Lie down.”

“On the floor?” Stiles was still mostly asleep and his brain didn’t quite get what Derek was suggesting. Possibly because Derek didn’t use enough words.

“On the bed. We can all fit.” Derek raised one shoulder in a half shrug. Stiles took a moment for the idea to sink in before he thought it was a genius idea.

“I’m actually going to sleep with you!” he crowed. “In, like, the other sense of the word. Because no _hanky panky_ of any sorts will be going on with Little Miss Werewolf Princess in the bed. Just maybe some snuggles and I am so up for this.”

“I’m changing my mind,” Derek snarked, before settling on the bed and very pointedly shifting over to leave space for Stiles. “Go to sleep, Stiles.”

Stiles crawled into the sheets that smelled, even to his human nose, of Derek and Jenny and smiled to think his scent would be mixed in with that too.

***

Stiles’ phone alarm went off way before he was ready for it to ring quite so loudly in his ear. He batted it quiet before even attempting any further movement. The couch wasn’t as comfortable as his actual bed but it was a very good substitute and Stiles didn’t really want to move.

Jenny clambered on top of his legs before he had a chance to do much more than sit up. “Good morning, Stiles.”

“Morning,” Stiles said automatically. “Where’s Der- Daddy?”

“He said not to wake you, but you’re awake. Can we watch cartoons?” Jenny pasted on an expression of pleading she could only have learned from Isaac or Scott. They had the whole lost puppy dog thing going for them. Stiles might also have built up immunity to them but he was pretty sure he was incapable of ignoring Jenny’s eyes. 

“I’ll put them on for you. But I have to get ready for work.” Stiles had to lift Jenny out of the way to find the remote and then shuffle off to the bathroom. He hated mornings. He hated these mornings because this was supposed to be his summer break and he was working and it sucked. 

The shower woke him up a trifle but it was the sight of Derek checking his phone in low slung pajama pants and nothing else that really made Stiles stop dreaming of more pillow time and start thinking of pillow time in another way, maybe a biting way. They’d need to be quiet with Jenny around. Maybe Suze could take her to the park.

Stiles tamped down on his feelings. He always reacted to Derek like this and he needed to have some space, some time. He needed to work out what was just residual feelings left over from when he was just a kid and thought sex meant they were in love and the fact they were basically co-parenting meant they’d be together forever. Even though he was really more of a glorified babysitter. Derek had done all of the hard things. Which also, it seemed, included sitting in front of the TV and doing actions to some weird repetitive song Jenny was dancing around to. The colors were way too bright for this early in the morning.

Stiles waved at them as he started to stumble towards the door. He was approaching the line of cutting it fine and was in real danger of missing the first of the three buses he would be taking.

“Aren’t you leaving too early?” Derek asked, while Jenny continued grooving away.

“My car- Okay. My car is kinda dead and I have no money and I am a pathetic loser.” Stiles kept his eyes on the swirling, nauseating children’s show rather than looking at Derek.

Derek was silent as he got to his feet. “Jenny, shoes.” She started singing an odd song about shoes and laces and clomping as she bent down to pull on her sandals. Derek vanished into the bedroom as Stiles hovered, calling out, “Stay there” in the kind of tone he used to use around bad guys and Scott. Not that Scott paid any attention. Or the bad guys, really.

Stiles just stood in the middle of the living room.

 

The drive was mainly quiet. Well, Stiles gave directions while Jenny sang along to whatever was playing through the stereo. Derek didn’t say much, making a big deal of keeping his hands at ten and two and checking his mirrors. He pulled into the lot down the street from Stiles’ office and watched Stiles fumble with his seat belt.

“What time do you get off?” Derek said, just as he was sliding out.

“Never,” Stiles shot back, before shaking his head. “I should be done around six. I can totally bus back. You guys should go explore.”

“We’ll see you here,” Derek said. His blank face quirked up in a small smile. “Maybe grab food somewhere close by? Food that isn’t noodles.”

“Noodles are a core staple of any student diet but I will ask for recommendations that will not hurt your delicate system.” Stiles made a silly face at Jenny who waved enthusiastically.

“Steaks? Or something with meat. Not vegetarian.” Derek switched the engine on again. “Jennifer doesn’t like it.”

Stiles just let his skeptical expression do all the talking.

***

Derek was sitting at the kitchen table, Jenny in her high chair and they were having a discussion about the food Derek was trying to get her to eat. It was a discussion that mainly involved eye brows and low growls, but there was a definite rhythm to it. Stiles pulled a pop tart from his secret stash and ignored Derek’s pointed look as he swung himself up on the counter.

The local paper, The Beacon, whose unimaginative name Stiles always enjoyed mocking, was lying there and he idly picked it up and flicked through, looking for people he knew. That was probably the best thing about local papers – the idiotic pictures where people looked embarrassed and uncomfortable even before Stiles started in on the mocking. He normally skipped the ad section but he stopped when he noticed the red circles around the property ads. 

“You grab this at work?” he asked, presuming some cheapskate had already been through the paper in the library. “You going to sniff out the graffiti miscreant.”

“You been practicing for your SATs like Scott?” Derek grabbed the paper and tucked it under his elbow. “It’s mine.”

“And the houses are circled in red because…?” Stiles could already feel his stomach start to twist and turn. He knew what it meant; he was smart. He just needed to know why Derek hadn’t said anything to him.

“We can’t stay here forever, Stiles.” Derek stopped even trying to feed Jenny, letting her smash her hands down in the bowl and start to play instead. “Your dad has been amazing-“

“My dad is awesome. But you…” Stiles kicked his feet against the cabinet doors before he realized just how kiddy it made him look. Like Jenny or something. “I thought you would have said something.”

Derek started clearing up. “We-“ He pushed himself to his feet and stopped fidgeting, looked directly at Stiles. “Jenny and I have to be a family, Stiles. Together. And we’re going to need our own space for that.”

“And I don’t fit into your family?” Stiles tried to sound like it didn’t matter but he knew he was probably a mile off it. He sounded hurt and needy and all the things he tried to promise himself he’d never be around Derek.

“That’s. I didn’t say that.” Derek grabbed Jenny and started wiping her clean, a little too rough. He ignored her complaints to hoist her out of the chair and start for the bathroom. “But yeah. We need to go and you need to stay here and be with your dad.”

Stiles grabbed his keys from the table and headed straight out. He didn’t stay to hear anything more from Derek. He could stay with Scott until they were gone.

***

“I asked around,” Stiles said, when Derek leaned across to open the car door for him. “For steak places that were kid friendly.”

“That was nice.” Derek waited while Stiles got himself settled in the seat, sticking his bag down and loosening his tie and enjoying the air conditioning for a moment before strapping himself in. Then Stiles had to unhook himself to half crawl into the back and give Jenny a hug before settling again. “I hope it didn’t cause too many awkward questions.”

“I live for awkward questions!” Stiles pumped his fist in the air for a moment. “But they said this place about ten minutes away is probably the best.”

Stiles didn’t really want to explain how him asking one of the secretaries for advice on food had led to a whole phone photo show of Jenny and some well avoided questions about Derek and a lot of cooing and more people being friendly to Stiles than he’d really met in the office so far. It had been a bonding experience, even after Amil had given him a totally knowing look as he’d skipped past a couple of solo photos of Derek he’d never managed to bring himself to delete.

Derek turned the car around and nodded. Stiles let him drive, Jenny quiet in the back, as the traffic seemed to come from every direction. He wasn’t really accustomed to it, for all that he basically lived here. It wasn’t like home. Stiles had another moment of missing his dad and even stupid things like knowing when there was going to be bad weather because of the way the wind was blowing. He didn’t really have weather this far south.

 

The restaurant was a nice balance between classy and kid friendly, bare wooden tables that crayons wouldn’t harm, shining glasses and booster seats. Jenny rambled through her day, poking Derek to show Stiles pictures to accompany her rather mixed up account. They’d gone to the beach and then done some boring things that Daddy wanted but the buildings were cool. Stiles nodded as Derek dutifully showed him a snap of Jenny in front of the Chinese Theater as their appetizers arrived. That derailed Jenny’s storytelling and left Stiles making idle conversation about his work instead.

He did a lot of filing. He was an intern therefore he filed. And occasionally copied things. And filed the copies. Derek tried to look like it was interesting but Stiles had to kick him when he yawned into his wine glass. Derek trapped his foot between his calves and didn’t let go, even when Stiles tugged. Instead Derek stared at him intently and asked about Stiles’ plans for next year.

Stiles finished his food rather than answering that.

"Stiles? I need to go the bathroom." Jenny wriggled in her seat before Derek lifted her down and settled her on the floor. She grabbed at Stiles' hand and was close to pulling him out of his own chair. 

"Can't your dad take you?" Stiles knew he'd give in but he wasn't going down with any kind of a fight. "He is the expert." Stiles had listened to the woes of potty training while pretending to be researching or studying while Derek talked to Melissa or his own dad instead of him. He'd also spent a lot of time trying to work out why he was jealous of that.

"But I want you." Jenny was getting a little loud and Stiles guessed it wasn't like he wanted her to draw too much attention. He caught the eye of the waitress but she just pointed him at the family bathroom and grinned.

When they came out, she was still hovering. She even cooed at Jenny and asked if she wanted to come chose her balloon. Stiles obediently followed in their wake while Jenny explained all about her favorite colors.

"You must be so proud of her," the waitress said as Jenny dashed back to show Derek the blue balloon she'd finally selected. "You and your partner." 

"Yeah, she's a great kid," Stiles said automatically. He didn't miss the way Derek's eyes met him as he didn't correct her assumption or try to explain they were just friends. Or whatever they were. Instead he shrugged and headed back, hoping he could talk Derek into splitting one of the ridiculously huge desserts with him. 

 

Jenny was basically asleep, Derek carrying her up to Stiles’ apartment, her head on his shoulder but her balloon still wrapped tight around her wrist. “The fresh air wiped her out.”

“And the early morning?” Stiles was quiet as he unlocked the door and let them in. Suze must have been by – some of her things were gone and there was a note with his name on it stuck to the TV. 

“Those are more common.” Derek smirked, jostling Jenny slightly. “Thank every deity in existence for cartoons.”

“Cartoons are awesome,” Stiles whispered back as Jenny complained. “If I had an excuse like Jenny, I’d watch them all the time.”

The half-smile slid off Derek’s face and he headed straight for the bedroom, ignoring Jenny’s complaints as he got her ready for bed. The walls were thin enough that Stiles could pretty much hear everything, which made him embarrassed for himself, although it wasn’t like he made a whole lot of noise in there anyway.

He dug around in the back of a cabinet for the herbal tea that he kept for when it was this late at night and he had to get up. He wasn’t going to drink a beer – because Derek and him and alcohol was a bad combination – and coffee would just wake him up again.

“You could have it.” Derek waited until he’d closed the door behind him before he spoke again. “An excuse. Jenny.”

“You said that-“ Stiles snapped his mouth shut when he heard his voice echoing around the tiny apartment. He was quieter again when he tried again. “You said I wasn’t your family.”

Derek stilled, enough so that even Stiles could see it. “How old were you? When Jenny was first in Beacon Hills?” His voice carried little emotion, nothing Stiles could use to judge what Derek was aiming at.

“Almost seventeen.” Stiles dunked his tea bag a few times. “You want some?”

“I’m okay. Some water?” Derek sat down in one of the mismatched stools beside the counter and took the bottle Stiles retrieved from the refrigerator. He rolled it between his palms for a moment before cracking it open. “You were a junior. And you had school and your dad and werewolf shit and you didn’t need to suddenly be a parent on top of all that.”

“And you did? I mean. You didn’t have school but you had pretty much all of that too. And you were the target of, like, everything that came to town. It was like you had a target on your back.” Stiles tugged out the other stool and perched on it. “But I was just a kid.”

“You were never a kid.” Derek shook his head. “It was wrong, of me. Very wrong of me to-“

“Sex me up?” Stiles raised his eyebrow as Derek’s own eyebrows lowered into a scowl. “It wasn’t like you were exactly forcing me. I knew what I was doing.”

“You should have been with someone your own age. Lydia.” Derek continued to scowl. “Even Cora.”

“Cora would have ripped out my spine or something. You know how she gets.” Stiles waved his free hand in the air to describe Cora’s propensity for grievous bodily harm. “Peter offered.” Derek went an interesting shade of puce at that. “I turned him down, of course. But no one else really was interested. And I wasn’t interested in them, you know.”

“And you had college and a life and it wasn’t right, Stiles. Not when you were at school and I wasn’t.” Derek took a long swallow of water.

“So why did we keep…seeing each other? We weren’t dating. Screwing? Fucking around?” Stiles tried all the descriptions out but none of them seemed to fit. “Why didn’t we stop?”

Derek’s eyes swept him up and down before he answered. “I didn’t want to.”

Stiles sipped at his tea and tried to puzzle it all out. Derek had always been a bit like a jigsaw with missing pieces and no picture to guide him, although he wondered if he maybe had found like a corner or a really obvious couple of matches or something. 

“And now?” Stiles wrapped his hands around his mug to stop his hands from shaking. He knew it was stupid – Derek could hear the rapid pounding of his heart anyway. “What do you want now?”

***

The college discussion with his dad lasted for approximately all of his junior year and a good two months into his senior one as well. Stiles guessed he should have expected it. His dad was fixed on him doing what his mom would have wanted, after all. And then he would talk about meeting his mom at college and how Stiles would find someone special and Stiles would know his dad was hinting that he would get over Derek and maybe move on.

Moving on was harder than his dad could understand because he was missing some key pieces of information. Such as the fact Jenny was spending the night with Cora and Melissa and a whole lot of Disney princesses while he and Derek researched the latest threat to hit Beacon Hills. Which had degenerated into a shouting match over search terms. Just because Derek had picked up a thing or two at his work.

Stiles had been ready to scream with frustration when Derek had snapped the laptop shut and stalked around the dining room table they had all their books and papers spread out on.

“You don’t scare me,” Stiles had said. He was only lying a little but it didn’t seem to stop Derek. “No biting now.”

“Wouldn’t turn you,” Derek said. He hesitated a moment before Stiles lurched forward and affixed himself to Derek’s mouth. They hadn’t done so much as touch either for months, avoiding even the barest brush of hands as they passed over books. Since the last time they’d done this. And Stiles was horny.

He realized he should probably be thinking more clearly as Derek stripped him, efficiently, and then turned his attention to himself, revealing his skin almost too quickly. He was hard and so was Stiles and suddenly it seemed like a really good idea to roll onto his belly, spread his legs and tilt his ass up.

“Fuck, Stiles.” Derek sounded shaky as he ran his hand up Stiles’ leg, like Stiles had some kind of effect on him other than a convenient way to relieve some tension.

“That’s the idea. Need me to draw you some diagrams?” Stiles grabbed onto the sheets, needing to ground himself as Derek tightened his grip on his ass and it hurt for just an instant before it started to feel good. Stiles reached for the nightstand but Derek beat him too it, pulling out the lube. He hesitated before taking out a condom and dropping it onto the bed. Stiles wanted to tell him he didn’t need it because Stiles was still maintaining his current streak of Derek and no one else but he had a cold leaden realization that perhaps Derek wasn’t quite so unlucky.

Stiles said nothing other than “Harder” and “More” and “I won’t break” although he was sure Derek could hear his heart skip a few times on that one. Derek didn’t say anything, just fucked into Stiles, his mouth pressed into the meat of Stiles’ shoulder, teeth – human and blunt – catching now and again. Stiles couldn’t be sure but he thought Derek was speaking, his mouth moving, but it was all muffled by his skin.

He came, sure enough. Derek made sure of that, working his hand under them and stripping Stiles’ cock with the same waste no energy attitude with which he’d stripped earlier. It was sex and it was good and Stiles was a boneless lump at the end of it. But, after he’d recovered, he left Derek dozing and drove home, trying not to think about why he was running.

 

He finally laid out the college brochures on the coffee table and waited for his dad to get home. He made pro and con lists for all of them instead of pacing nervously, arranged and rearranged the piles. Then he put on coffee.

 

They decided he needed to stay in state, but he decided that he should go as far away within that as he could go.

***

Derek didn’t answer him straight away. He drank some more water before carefully screwing the lid back on and setting it to one side. Then he folded his hands in front of him, loosely clasped.

“That’s the problem. There’s what I want and what Jenny wants. What Jenny needs. There’s also what you want.” Derek’s mouth twisted in something between a macabre grin and a pure look of self-loathing. “And then there’s the whole problem of whether it’s all worth it, you know.”

“Whether what’s worth it?” Stiles really was starting to worry that Derek was losing it, like he had back when Peter came back from the dead.

“Whether I’m worth it.” Derek looked up. “I’m a single dad and that means that Jenny is always going to be-“

“You don’t think I don’t know it. After Mom died, you know how it was with my dad and me.” Stiles gave up on pretending to drink his tea and reached across the narrow space between them and hooked two of his fingers around one of Derek’s. “Jenny’s not the problem, dude.” Stiles almost laughed at the dark look Derek shot him at that. He’d never liked being called dude. “You gotta know that from all the moms in the playground totally hitting on you.”

“I’m still Derek Hale to them.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Although your dad did a whole lot to make that a little easier.”

“Less bad boy and more respectable member of society. I get it.” Stiles tightened his hold for a moment before Derek shifted so their hands were basically entwined. “But you never told me what you want.”

“You.” Derek tried to pull away at that but Stiles held on tight until Derek looked up. “Not just the occasional visit and argument but you. All the time.” Derek’s eyes were intent and honest and Stiles felt like another jigsaw piece was fitting into place. “I’ve wanted that for a long time.”

“I like college,” Stiles told him, out of nowhere. Derek blinked at the non-sequitur before nodding. “I’m not saying no or yes. I’m saying-“

“I can wait. For an answer.” Derek squeezed Stiles’ hands again before Stiles let him go. Derek fiddled with the water bottle again. “Even if the answer is no.”

Stiles wondered if he should tell Derek why Paul and he never hooked up. But he decided that was probably too much for Derek’s ego which was quite big enough at the best of times. Derek had to keep that kind of thing in check – or Stiles had to help with it, anyway. “We were kind of a mess when you moved into the house.”

“You were the only thing stopping it being a disaster.” Derek shrugged. “How many kids of sixteen would help with a baby?”

“Considering what happened with the eggs in Health class.” Stiles dumped the rest of his tea down the drain, unable to stomach it. “I really missed you guys. I should have-”

“If you’d come home, we wouldn’t be going to Disneyland on Saturday.” Derek kicked the stool back under the counter and hovered, rocking on his heels. “If you want.”

“I want!” Stiles winced at how loud he was. “Hella lot.” Derek laughed quietly at him while Stiles finished rinsing his mug. “It should be cool.”

Derek was still standing there when Stiles turned around, still looking like he wished he had his old leather jacket to shove his hands into or something. “I’m going to hug you, okay?” Stiles left it a question but he really didn’t need it as Derek didn’t even wait for him to move more than a step before he had crossed the distance between them and wrapped himself around Stiles, buried his nose in Stiles’ neck. All the tension that had been slowly dissipating rushed back in, sending tendrils of warmth around Stiles, a swirling out of control feeling.

Now they were this close, Stiles was aware of the inches he had on Derek, of the way Derek was solid and warm and held Stiles like he never wanted to let him go. Stiles kept his arms just as tight around Derek, one hand splayed over where he knew Derek’s tattoo was, right between his shoulder blades. It only took a couple of deep breaths before they fumbled their way into a kiss, mouths familiar and strange all at once. There was no undercurrent of anger – they weren’t channeling a fight like usual – but there was still that old desperation. Stiles knew he’d never stop wanting Derek to kiss him like this was the first and last time, even though he thought they were probably better at it now, mouths open, tongues flicking between them. Stiles let his other hand drift from Derek’s hip to the waistband of Derek’s pants, up under the edge of his dress shirt.

It was the feel of Derek’s naked skin that had him stepping away, pulling his hands free and dragging himself back to pant against the wall.

Derek’s mouth was red and slick and all Stiles wanted to do was reach out and pull him in and kiss him and take him and have him. Derek seemed fixed on Stiles’ mouth too, taking a long time to look up and meet his eyes. His chest was heaving in and out, like he’d been running all night rather than kissing Stiles but Stile felt equally breathless.

“It’s late. And I have to work tomorrow. And-“ Stiles flattened his palms against the wall. He wanted to just keep going but another one of the jigsaw pieces slotted into place. He stopped coming up with excuses. “I’m going to think about this, Derek. Us. And I’m going to make a decision. Properly. As a grown up. And I’m not going to do it while rolling around naked on the floor with you when your kid is really not that asleep in my actual bed.”

Derek looked like was going to argue for a long moment before he nodded and his mouth quirked in a half smile. “Mind watching Jenny while I shower? Then I’ll let you get to bed.”

“You don’t need to shower…” Stiles narrowed his eyes at Derek. “Oh. You’re ‘showering’.” He even made the air quotes to accompany it. Stiles guessed he’d asked for it. Even though now he was imagining Derek all naked and wet and stroking himself in the shower and it was good. Damn _fucking_ good. He thunked his head back against the wall.

And he watched as Derek strolled out in nothing but a towel to help complete the image he took into his own shower quite unabashedly.

***

When Stiles finished his final year of college and Jenny rocked second grade, returning to Beacon Hills was almost an anti-climax. Stiles wasn’t expecting a parade or anything, but a hug from his dad on the way out to a call and Lydia’s ‘oh, you’re back’ when he stopped by to say hi was underwhelming to say the least.

All that was forgotten when he, a little nervously, knocked at Derek’s front door. He heard running feet and knelt as Jenny opened the door and threw herself at him. She was even bigger than the last time he’d seen her, even thought that had only been a month ago, when he’d come home to interview with the construction company who were expanding their offices. She was also still stronger than any kid had the right to be, squeezing him so tightly air was becoming an issue.

Derek leaned against the doorway, knowing exactly what was going on from the lazy grin on his face.

“Stiles! Stiles! Stiles!” Jenny chanted, before she let him go. “I made a whole lot of signs. With glitter.”

“Glitter? I love glitter.” Stiles wasn’t even kidding himself about this. Sparkly was totally awesome. She squeezed him tight one more time before running back into the house.

Derek helped him up. Which meant Derek levered him to his feet and kept hold of him, in case Stiles was suddenly going to disappear again or something.

“So.” Derek froze, his mouth half open, as if he had something to say and then forgot. Stiles could half understand why. He frequently lost track of his thoughts when Derek was around. Particularly if he was flexing. He didn’t understand why Derek was looking at him like that, though. Until suddenly he got it.

“So, I’m here. I’m back.” Stiles shuffled so he was leaning against Derek. “And it looks like I’m staying.”

“In Beacon Hills? Because we don’t react too well when you leave.” Derek was fighting a smile but definitely didn’t fight the urge to wrap Stiles up in a tight hug, holding him just as close as Jenny had, with a little more concern for his airways.

“I might have something of a problem with that myself.” Stiles arched his eyebrows but he couldn’t compete with Derek’s matching smug look. Jenny attached herself to both their legs. Stiles was fairly sure she had more glitter on her hands now, which was attaching itself to him. “Also, I hear that someone’s special Granddad is finishing work early so he can come and see these signs too.”

Jenny let them go and started running through the house, cheering and gathering things into a pile to show off to Granddad later. Derek finally let Stiles into the house and closed the door behind him. “I got burgers. I should go check on the grill.”

“And then we shall eat and make merry and then my dad will take your child to my old house to sleepover and then what shall we do, Mr Hale?” Stiles waited while Derek processed what he had to sat, froze in the hallway, slowly turned around and advanced on Stiles in a decidedly predatory manner. “Later, Derek. Not now. Not yet.”

“The grill can wait.” Derek hauled Stiles in – not that he took much persuading. It was more of a willing reeling, really – and brought his mouth close enough that Stiles could feel the puffs of breath on his face. “And Jenny is going to be busy for-“ Stiles stopped him talking with his own mouth, fed up of waiting for his welcome home kiss. He knew exactly what Derek was trying to say anyway. He had the picture of the three of them at Disneyland in the middle of all the others on proud display, like Stiles had always been part of their family all along.

**Author's Note:**

> And then it was really sappy but they still fought. And had epic loud make-up sex.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://dedougal.tumblr.com/) but still don't really understand it.


End file.
